LE LION D'OR

Previously Alexandre Couillon's sous-chef at La Marine, Simon Bessonnet has set up shop in premises dating from 1860 in the heart of a wine-producing village in the Fiefs Vendéens. But as the contemporary interior he has designed for his restaurant suggests, the chef is very much in touch with the times. Drawing on a regional pantry, he comes up with bold and original combinations and chooses just the right emulsions, jus and condiments to intelligently boost his dishes. As for the desserts, they are models of deliciousness.

This fine dining restaurant is tucked away in a quiet back street between the indoor market and the beautiful church, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Port. Its name, in the local dialect, refers to the small fish caught by children in the port. At the helm, a talented pair, Mélanie Roussy and Boris Harispe, trained at Michelin-starred restaurants (including La Villa Madie), have decked the place out in a contemporary style (navy and white walls, designer furniture etc). The menu is packed with seafood dishes (among others) and constantly changes, as the chef scrupulously follows the seasons, works with all

This stylishly refurbished mansion a few kilometres from Les Sables-d'Olonne is home to talented couple Amélie and Nicolas Coutand. An advocate of fresh, seasonal produce, his approach is creative, joyful and flavoursome; regional ingredients take pride of place on his menu, from premium produce to humbler items such as sardine, mackerel and hake. A huge 1 400m2 kitchen garden brings a vegetal flourish to his light, exquisitely refined dishes. On weekday lunchtimes, bistronomy is the name of the game.

Seated behind the restaurant’s floor to ceiling windows, admire the sun’s rays glinting on the ocean. A talented skipper has dropped anchor here in the person of Jean-Marc Pérochon who went to sea at 17, crossing the channel to Scotland, before cruising around Europe and as far as the West Indies. In his hotel-restaurant, his cooking is both minimalist and sprinkled with exotic flavours, extractions, stocks and emulsions, leaving our tastebuds aching for more. He believes in working only with first-rate goods, namely fish and shellfish from the fish auction at Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie (which

Located in the Manoir de la Mortière, this bistro’s inviting decor mixes textured lime-washed walls, old beams, terracotta floor tiles and a period fireplace. The food smacks of heartwarming sincerity, thanks to carefully crafted comfort food: organic poached egg in red wine; free-range chicken à la basquaise; tournedos of beef cooked over embers with a béarnaise sauce and a warm cappuccino-flavoured soufflé to finish.

This shipowner's house on the pretty little port dates back to 1652. With wood panelling, a fireplace and old hardwood floors, the well-kept interior is inviting… but in fine weather, the terrace beckons. The menu is an ode to local fishing and the place is renowned for the excellent quality of its fish – the place to eat on the island!

In this peaceful village in the Vendée countryside, Virginie and Antoine Préteux run this beautifully renovated former village café-restaurant. The young couple has a proven track record that includes Michelin-starred establishments. Consolidating the sound classical foundations he has learnt throughout his career, Antoine concocts delicious contemporary cuisine, inspired by the market and making the most of regional produce (vegetable platter, creamy and spicy broth; fresh pollack in a miso crust; his tasty take on the chestnut mont blanc dessert). The interior decor is cosy and intimate (wit